Eleanor Holmes Norton, a non-voting delegate representing the District of Columbia, has the “early stages of dementia,” according to a police report detailing how scammers took advantage of the oldest member of the House of Representatives.
Norton, 88, was duped by multiple suspects Thursday who went to her Washington, DC, home claiming to be HVAC workers, according to an internal police report obtained by NBC News4.
The swindlers charged $4,362 to the Democratic congresswoman’s credit card without performing any work.
Norton’s “caretaker/power of attorney was not at residence” at the time the group showed up, which was just after 3:30 p.m., the report states, noting that it was Norton’s “caretaker” who called DC police after noticing the unscheduled arrival at the congresswoman’s home.
Norton’s apparent cognitive impairment was described in the section of the police report detailing victim information.
“Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC) 88 years old, Black Woman, suffers early stages of dementia,” the report states.
Norton, who has served as a member of the House since 1991, has shown signs of mental decline and has struggled to do her job on Capitol Hill in recent years, friends and colleagues told the New York Times earlier this year.
The congresswoman is described as being “unable to function independently,” leaning on aides, close friends and family members for help, the outlet reported, noting that she rarely attends House Oversight Committee meetings and appears at times not to recognize people she has known for years.
The congresswoman’s office dismissed the “dementia” claim, in a statement to NBC News4.
“The medical diagnosis included in the police report was based on an assumption the reporting officer was unqualified to make,” the statement read.
Norton’s office also contends the congresswoman’s “caretaker” is actually a “house manager.”
“The Congresswoman employs a house manager who oversees all maintenance services, so she initially assumed her staff had arranged the visit and provided her credit card for payment,” Norton’s office said. “Upon notifying her house manager, who reviewed Ring doorbell footage and confirmed that no such appointment had been scheduled, the incident was immediately reported to the police.”
“Congresswoman Norton doesn’t have a caretaker. A longtime employee and friend serves as the house manager, residing at a separate address.”
DC’s Metropolitan Police Department provided The Post with a “public incident report” which does not include the “dementia” claim.
The report notes that police are investigating the case as a felony fraud against Norton.
The suspects remain at large.
“The Congresswoman is safe and the fraudulent charges have been reported to the police and her bank,” her office added. “She thanks MPD and Capitol Police for their quick response. There will be no further comment.”
Norton (D-DC) told Axios last month that she has no plans to leave Congress despite the mounting concerns about her mental acuity.
“Of course,” she responded, when asked if she was running for re-election.
“I say that my seniority is what is very important, and I am not going to step aside.”
A spokesperson for Norton did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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